Kauaʻi record · KCA-IA-00564
Udea stellata
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About Udea stellata
Udea stellata caterpillars feed on māmaki relatives in the genus Pipturus.
Natural history and identification
Udea stellata caterpillars feed on māmaki relatives in the genus Pipturus. The life-history study sampled Pipturus kauaiensis along the Ditch Trail at Kōkeʻe, while using P. albidus on Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island. Laboratory observations distinguished six larval stages. Seven parasitoid species were associated with the caterpillars; adventive parasitoids accounted for more observed mortality than deliberately introduced ones in that study. The findings concern the sampled sites and years, not a current island-wide population estimate.
Kauaʻi occurrence and evidence
Atlas occurrence category: Present. Peer-reviewed life-history study collected wild Udea stellata larvae on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island.
Evidence limits
The cited observations describe the evidence currently available for this account. They do not establish a complete life history or a measured current Kauaʻi population trend.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Udea stellata
- Family
- Crambidae
- Order
- Lepidoptera
- Record type
- species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Present
- Origin
- Endemic Hawaiian
- Conservation status
- Not assessed
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal description
- Udea stellata caterpillars feed on māmaki relatives in the genus Pipturus.